Who Knew? Take 2: More Strange-But-True Details of Boston’s Innovation Leaders

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Personal insights. Conversation starters. Gossip. Whatever the excuse, it’s high time for the second installment in Xconomy’s Who Knew? series, our wildly popular roundup of little-known, offbeat facts about the New England innovation community (and a few outside innovators with ties to the local scene).

In this installment, you’ll learn who runs his own indoor waterfall, who’s hit 40 straight Red Sox home openers, and who has a day named after him in the state of Kentucky. Then, of course, there’s the skinny on what family ties—real or not—to the Car Talk guys can get you. Obama’s Republican fundraiser? Yep, we’ve got that, too. Not to mention who can cough up Broadway tickets and seats at movie premiers.

The tip lines have been open—but we actually had to work harder to uncover these gems than we would have liked. We’d prefer much easier pickings next time, so please send us all the juicy details at editors@xconomy.com.

Meanwhile, here’s the second round:

MIT biologist David Housman tools around in a hard-to-come-by 2006 Volvo C70 convertible. How did he get the ride? Turns out that Josie and Annie, the aunts of Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi, ran kitchen support for the MIT Biology Department. In a ceremony whose details cannot be revealed here, gene hunter Housman was “officially” identified as Ray’s long lost half-brother. The Click and Clack family ties enabled the Prof to jump the queue for his wheels.

Rich Levandov of Avalon Ventures still (apparently) has not gotten his Tacoda tattoo. The body work was originally slated for last fall. Afraid of needles, Rich?

By the way, Levandov’s partner in Avalon’s San Diego home office, Kevin Kinsella, is a producer of the musical Jersey Boys, winner of four 2006 Tony awards (including Best Musical) and a Grammy for Best Show Album.

We bring this up because producing isn’t just a West Coast thing, baby. Todd Dagres, founder of Spark Capital, co-produced the 2008 train thriller Transsiberian, starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, and Sir Ben Kingsley. The film, which will hit theaters in August, premiered at Sundance in January. Dagres also produced the 2005 teen comedy-drama Pretty Persuasion.

Speaking of moviedom, Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, had a speaking part as a Professor Hanes in 21, the movie about the MIT blackjack team. Xconomy had the scoop here.

Mark Levin, co-founder of Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Boston’s Third Rock Ventures, bought the most expensive house in Massachusetts in 2007, according to the Boston Globeand the Gloucester Daily Times. Last August, Levin and his wife, Becky, shelled out $11 million for Seahome, a 12,000-square-foot Manchester-by-the-Sea mansion that comes with its own deep-water dock, two kitchens, and an indoor waterfall. The property had been listed at $17.75 million.

Mark Fredrickson, vice president of Marketing Strategy & Communications for EMC, attended his 40th consecutive Boston Red Sox home opener in April. His mother started the tradition in 1969, when Frederickson was in the fifth grade. “My best Opening Day had to be 2005, when the championship banner was hoisted and rings were handed out at long last,” Fredrickson reports.

January 7 is Phillip A. Sharp Day in the state of Kentucky, and there is a Phillip Sharp Middle School, in Pendleton County, KY, where the MIT Nobel Laureate grew up.